General Guidelines for Photographing an Event for SPOTTED

Thanks so much for being a SPOTTED volunteer! Your work is appreciated and is an asset to our community. Please print this, save it to your computer, save it online, keep a copy in your vehicle, etc. so it will be handy every time you get ready for an event.

Prepare:

1. Print the information regarding your event or just write down the pertinent info. Be sure you know the location of the event, how to get there, the name of the contact person, and Liberty's cell number (224-6072). If you do not have 100 SPOTTED cards, contact Liberty to get more cards (at least a couple days in advance). Check your camera, batteries, and memory card(s) to make sure your equipment is ready. Have everything with you that you need to be comfortable. (Advice from a Mother Hen: Take tissues, breath fresheners, a pen and paper or a small notebook, and a clean shirt/top in case you spill something on yourself on the way to the event!)

2. Dress appropriately for the weather and the situation. You aren't expected to dress like the event's other attendees, because you are there in a different capacity. Your ID badge will inform the other attendees of your role at the event.

3. Leave early in case you get lost or the traffic is bad. Plan to spend an hour or possibly two hours at the event.

When you arrive:

There is usually a sign-in or ticket table, so introduce yourself there. They may look for your name on the list or check with the contact person. If someone says, "You're not on the list," don't panic. You may be listed under SPOTTED, PIXels, or the Savannah Morning News. Just be professional and ask to speak to the coordinator of the event or the contact person for the venue. You should talk to the contact person as soon as possible anyway. Ask him/her if there is anything special you should know. He/She will be a good source of information and may be the contact person for a future event at the same location. If it's a live concert, be sure to ask if there are rules for taking photographs. Some performers only permit photos during the first couple of songs, or you might have to wear a press badge/sticker for that specific event, or there may be other restrictions.

Approaching people:

Be polite. Don't interrupt people who are engaged in conversation. Wait nearby, but look at them expectantly until they look at you. You may also say, "Excuse me," when there is a break in their conversation. Sometimes lighting is an issue, so think about that before you approach them.

Sherri Simmons gives this advice: Say, "Hi! I would like to take your photo for the Savannah Morning News website! They will usually smile or strike a pose. I like to get quick shots before they become self-conscious. You may pose them, but don't make a big production of it. Smile at them while you are taking their photo and they will smile back. If the first shot isn't good, I like to say, "Let me take one more and I'll choose the best one." If you say, "You closed your eyes," or “You didn’t smile,” they become more self-conscious and the next photo may be even worse.

“ .......If you ask permission by saying, "May I take your picture for......." the people think about it, then discuss it with the rest of the group, then come to a consensus......which takes up a lot of time and the spontaneity is lost. I prefer to tell them I want to take a photo. They can certainly decline if they wish. Please take at least 50 photos at each event.

Be sure to give them a SPOTTED card and say, "Your photo will be on this web page tomorrow." If there is a group of people who are obviously friends, you may give only one card and say, "Can you share the web info?" Be sure to thank them. They may ask questions about SPOTTED or ask you to mail them a copy of the photo. Be prepared to explain how SPOTTED works. Don't agree to send them the link or a copy of the photo! If they say they don't have a computer or Internet access, tell them to give the card to a friend or relative who does. Remember to say, "Thank you!"

If someone declines, just tell them thank you. Sometimes most of a group of people will say yes, but one person says no. Usually the others convince him/her to participate or he/she will move away from the group. There are people who truly do not like being photographed or who are in the wrong place at the wrong time (maybe they should be at work or at home with the spouse)!

Take Photos:

You want 80% of your photos to show people having fun at the event. The other 20% should be of the venue, the informational signs, action shots, long-range shots, objects that are relevant, and other non-people subjects. Be sure to take photos of the attendees, the organizers, the volunteers, and the staff (including bartenders, wait staff, security, etc.). Show the diversity (ages, ethnicity, socio-economic) of the people present. Remember, SPOTTED is all about people!

After the Event:

I usually have my laptop in the trunk of my car, then after the event I can begin transferring the photos to the laptop. This saves me time at home. Use photo-editing software to adjust the lighting, sharpen, fix the red eyes, crop out distracting elements, etc. There are some free programs and tutorials on the web to assist you. Please don't upload every single photo. Eliminate a photo if:

someone looks really bad......they would prefer to have no photo rather than a very bad one onlineit's similar to another photo.........select the best photo if you have multiples of the same person/objectif the photo is embarrassing......if you would be embarrassed if you were the subject in questionif there is too much skin/adult content........SPOTTED is available to childrenThat being said, we do have some current SPOTTED galleries and photos that may be considered “adult.” Those photos usually get a lot of hits!

Upload the Photos:

I always create a new folder for each event and put all of the photos I want to upload into that folder. If the event was assigned to you, click on UPLOAD NOW YOUR PHOTOS on the first page of spotted.savannahnow.com. Then click on the green events link. Click on it to add the information requested (retype the name of the event, add a description and tags, and select 3 categories), create the gallery, then add and upload the photos.

There is a HELP section or you can call me. Upload only 40 photos at a time. If you try to do more, you might have tech problems. If you get an error message that asks if you want to abort, I click on NO. If you have more than 100 great photos, consider breaking them into two galleries.

A Few More Things To Do:

Email your friends and encourage them to look at your galleries and forward the links to their friends. If you are a student, please post a flyer (with a photo if possible) telling people to look at your galleries. I will email the event's contact people to tell them the relevant link. If you meet people and/or collect their business cards, you may email the link to them or give me their contact info and I will do so. I will also add the gallery link to relevant web pages, blogs, etc. For example, Sherri promotes our Harley Davidson galleries on HD sites in other states.

Support Other SPOTTED Photographers:

Let's take care of each other and support each other's efforts! Post positive comments to other photographer’s photos. Make helpful suggestions via direct email or through Liberty. Let me know your ideas and helpful tips. Promote SPOTTED and encourage more photographers to join our group! We have begun adding each photographer's name to each event description paragraph, so you will get a little more recognition for your efforts. Spotted photos are also increasingly being used in the print newspaper. Helping our volunteers achieve their professional and artistic goals is part of Spotted’s role in the community.